The Orioles announced that they’ve acquired left-hander Andrew Faulkner from the Rangers and released outfielder/pitcher Dariel Alvarez to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Baltimore will send cash or a player to be named later to the Rangers to complete the swap. The Orioles have optioned Faulkner to Triple-A Norfolk.
Faulkner, 24, has seen time in the Majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 16 1/3 innings with the Rangers and pitching to a 4.41 ERA with an 11-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 43.4 percent ground-ball rate. He spent the bulk of the season in the bullpen with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, tossing 45 1/3 innings with a 3.97 ERA 7.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. MLB.com rated Faulkner as the No. 30 prospect in the Rangers’ system at the time of the swap, noting that he lost a couple of miles off his fastball in 2016.
When at his best, however, Faulkner is tough on left-handed opponents, as evidenced by the .175/.291/.238 line posted by opposing lefties (including both the Majors and minors) in 2015. The former 14th-rounder (2011) does have some experience in the rotation — nearly half of his 165 minor league appearances have been starts — but he’s worked primarily out of the bullpen across the past couple of seasons.
As for the 28-year-old Alvarez, it was reported earlier today that the outfielder-turned-pitcher is likely to require Tommy John surgery after suffering an elbow injury. The Cuban defector has been in the Orioles organization since the 2013 season but received just 35 plate appearances in the Majors. Alvarez has spent significant time at the Triple-A level in each of the past three seasons, and while he’s hit fairly well, he hasn’t exactly dominated the level; in 304 games with Norfolk, Alvarez has batted .285/.317/.409. Speculatively speaking, the O’s could re-sign Alvarez to a minor league deal, allowing him to rehab with the team and then to continue making his transition to the mound once he returns to health.
I know this is a business, but let’s hope they sign Alvarez to something.
Tried him out as a pitcher, destroyed his elbow, and left him to dry. That’s how it looks.
The O’s are still on the hook for the procedure and rehab…
Actually workmans como pays for the surgery and rehab.
And the O’s pay for Workman’s Comp… essentially saying that the player is well taken care of. The O’s aren’t leaving him high and dry. You gotta wonder tho what that policy costs! I pay 30k a year for a small business.
Typical orioles classless move. This is the same team that signed several players and then changed their minds and blamed medicals for the reason. garbage organization
Dodged the Grant Balfore bullet.
Releasing him right away rather than DFA’ing him and then releasing him could simply expedite the process of re-signing him to a minor league deal.
They need the 40-man spot and obviously aren’t going to put him on the MLB 60-day DL — no team would in this situation — so the release was basically inevitable.
Well thought out comment Steve. Unlike most of the people here … there are several pitchers having TJ that have been released to clear the spot and were ultimately resigned.
I’ve always found it surprising teams don’t sign players like Alvarez to a 1 year deal with a team option for a second at a low aav. To me it’d be a win-win. Player gets paid while rehabbing, and team gets an extended look and the option to continue the pact if the player impresses or proves to be healthy. Low risk, high reward. And teams like the Pirates, Indians, and Rays that have physio teams that seem to work magic could really stand to benefit.
Lol wtf. They’ve been right about every single one of those medicals. A garbage organization would’ve gone through with the signings after failed medicals.
This was meant as a reply to the idiot a couple posts above me. Not sure why reply never works for me on MLBTR anymore. It always creates an independent post instead.
And btw, he still gets his salary and his operation paid for by the Orioles. They had to do this to clear his 40 man spot. Man, people are dumb. They’ll probably re-sign him to a minor league deal.
No surgery and rehab are covered by workmans comp. yes even millionaire athletes get taxpayer paid surgery.
Between the comments made by Duquette about Bautista, the backing out of contracts, and the comments dexter fielders agent made about the front office, it’s hard not say there is a circus going on there. Even if they were right, it’s still reckless of them that it ever got to the point of having to back out of what, 3-4 contracts now
Why would you not back out of a contract if the player failed a physical? Would you rather pay the guy millions of dollars to be on the DL every season? Look at the Grant Balfour deal, he failed the O’s physical, they backed away, he signed with a team and barely played because of injury, then retired. I think the winningest team in the AL the last 5 years knows what they’re doing.
The Orioles are not the winningst team in the AL the last 5 years, that would be the Yankees. Baltimore falls like fourth or fifth.
Try again, pal. Last I looked 444 is more than 435, advantage Orioles.
Not that any of them at really matters anyways.
That*
That’s the stupidest most uneducated argument I’ve ever heard! How about a simple “I was wrong”? It’s called humility! And, please don’t start a business, you’ll go bankrupt! Every contract has a clause for a physical. It’s a built in stipulation that every player knows and every team uses! This is not an O’s thing. If they signed someone with a bad physical they’d lose millions. That would be like buying a product that you knew was defective and useless! It wouldn’t make sense!
I wasn’t wrong lol. Maybe this process shouldn’t be released until the physical is passed then. Fowlers agent himself said that the Orioles front office was reckless with their handling of the situation.
Yet still haven’t won a World Series in almost 40 years
Baltimore won 9 more games over the past 5 seasons than the Yankees. 444-435.
You were wrong. The TEAM cannot release information that a player a contract until the contract is finalized. That doesn’t happen until after the physical. MLB rules. Its sites like this that release rumors that a player has reached an agreement with the team. Of course, the agent is going to say something like that when the injury the team physical revealed is going to cost his client and the agent himself a lot of money.
Signings are often announced by news and rumor sites long before the team officially announces them. Physicals also cannot occur until a contract is in place, similar to how you have a contract on purchasing a home before you have it inspected.
FWIW, I think the Orioles noticed some bad PR from all the failed medicals and took a chance on Gallardo last year after there were red flags in his physical. We all know how that turned out…
Fowler’s agent was covering his own behind and trying to save his player’s reputation. Why would Adam Jones lie about Fowler texting him saying he was coming to Baltimore? You can believe what you want to believe if it makes you feel better. I prefer to believe the truth.
You were wrong. Oriole’s won more games then the Yankees. You said they were 4-5th in the ALE. That is not correct, therefore, by all logic that I have in my body, I believe you were wrong! Seems pretty simple to me… but then again I’m just a simple guy.
Reread the names lol. Not one thing that I said is wrong
So, how can the Yankees be the winningest team in the AL the last 5 years of they have fewer wins then the O’s?
You can’t do a physical until you have agreed to a contract and that contract has been reviewed by the office of the commissioner and approved. All contracts are subject to that physical. If they team finds something they don’t like they have every right to back out of the deal. The Orioles have been correct every time. They were bad deals if they had went through.
How is it reckless to back out of contracts? Every contract is pending a physical. The Orioles physicals have been correct every single time. Name one they botched.
Haters going to hate!!!!!
Well said,well said……….
This site should require some sort of intelligence exame before allowing inbred half-wits the privilege of commenting on the most thorough, professionally ran team in all of sports!!! Garbage organization….. Them’s fightin’ werds pilgrim……
That would nearly wipe all O’s fans off this website lol
Lol so much Toronto salt in this thread.